I'm surprised this never seems to have been discussed here before. Maybe it's a generational thing. But as a kid growing up in the '80s, there was no escaping the comic book inserts / back covers of Spider-Man and Power Pack warning kids about sexual abuse.

But I honestly didn't know there was a whole comic devoted to it. "Spider-Man and Power Pack #1," published in 1984, revealed that a young Peter Parker (pre-superpowers) had been groomed and molested by an older kid in his school. Apparently this has remained in continuity for the Marvel Universe as Spidey referred to it in another issue years later.

There was a whole "realtime" PSA campaign built around this comic, as facilitators in the Spidey-suit would visit schools and talk to kids about this stuff. And, yes, press coverage at the time said it triggered waves of disclosures.

It doesn't include the second half, the Power Pack story, because honestly who gives a shit about Power Pack? (Their story is really sad too, it's about incest, but it simply doesn't have the notoriety of the lead story because, let's face it, it's Spider-Man).

Note that you shouldn't read the "reader commentary" page at the end, because this being the Internet, it's full of 4chan-types herping and derping about how Spider-Man is now gay or that they only wish they could have been his nextdoor neighbor (the boy being groped by a female babysitter). Screw them, they don't understand. The story speaks for itself. And I'm sure, for many people, it made a real difference. In a way I'm glad for reading it myself.

I remember reading this comic at my neighbor's when I was a child. He had a huge collection of '70s and '80s Marvel comics in his basement. I'm sure it played some part in how I'm a total X-Men and Spider-Man geek to this day.

I had completely forgotten about this comic until now. Thanks for bringing it to my attention again. I kind of wish a mature and compassionate writer would revisit the story arc now.

Best,Ren

_________________________
"Don't be ashamed to need help. Like a soldier storming a wall, you have a mission to accomplish. And if you've been wounded and you need a comrade to pull you up? So what?" Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Book 7:7

I'm often surprised by how many comics deal with very serious issues. Actually pretty progressive that they tactic real-life things, huh? (Compared to many other entertainment forms, like prime-time TV)

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